Sand washer



sept. 22, 1925.

E. M, REARDoN .""AND WASHER 'ggg May 29. 1924 III-III Illllll .IIIIIIIIIIIII Patented Sept. 22, 1925.

UNITED STATES EDWIN M. mannen, or LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

To all wzlom z' may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDwrN M. REARDON, a citizenoi the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county oit' Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Sand Vashers, of which the :following is a specification.

This invention is a sand washer for oil wells and the like, 4and consists of the novel features herein shown, described and claimed. l

An object is to malle attachments to a sand pump so as to wash the sand while the pump is operating.`

Another object is to make a sand washer which will pump and wash at the same time.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the drawings and specilication.,

The drawings illustrate the construction and operation of a sand washer embodying the principles of my invention.

Figs. 1A and 1 show a fragmentary vertical diametrical sectional detail of the sand washer in operation with a sand pump in a well, Fig. 1^ showing the casing head and upper part of the apparatus and Fig. 1 ffshowing the lower part, which may be two `or three thousand feet or more down in a well. l

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional detail showing the inlet to the pump barrel below the pump plunger.

vFig. 3 isa horizontal section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 and lookingupwardly as indicated by the arrows and showing the well casing' in section and a bottom `plan of the rsand "pump and sand washer.

The "details of construction andl operation shown in the drawings are asfollows: The supporting tube 1 'extends from the .casing head 2 downwardly and supports the pump barrelv 3 in `which theA pump plunger 4t operates. 'The standing valve 5 is mountfrom the barrel 3, the cagehaving a perforated bottom 7 some distance below the `valve 5. rThe plungervalve 7 is mounted at the upper endV of theplunger 4 and the oill tube 8 isconnected to the plunger 4' anduextends upwardly and serves as a stem for operating `the plunger. The stem V8 works through a stuffing box `construction 9 at the upper end of the supporting tube 1 Iand has fadischarge spout 10 `extending laterally and a rod 11 for connection to the walking beam or other operatingk device.

SAND WASHER.

Application filed M213vr 29, 1924. Serial No. 716,731.

An inlet pipe l12 leads into the upper end ol? the supporting tube 1 below the stufling box 9 and into the chamber 13 around the stem 8. An oil supply tanlr 14 is suitably mountedv and adapted to hold considerable oil and the pipe 12 connectsto the oil tank 14: so that the oil in the tank 14 will run into the chamber 13 and `till the chamber and keep the chamber filled.

A' collar 15 is `rigidly mounted upon the lower end of the supporting tube 1 some distance above the pump barrel 3' and a plurality of supporting rods 16 are arranged radially and evenly spaced apart and attached to the collar 15, said rods v'1,6-

'extending some distance below the cage 6 and the lower ends of the rods being connected by a circular band`17. small pipe 1S 1s connected through the wall of the ysupporting tube 1 and extends outwardly pipe 18 and extends under thelbottom 7 to the axial center of the well and then straight downwardly to a swivel jointconstruction'23. A nozzle 24-is connected to thev swivel joint 23 and extends laterally and has a tangentially curved discharge nozzle y25` so `that oilpassing through the nozzle `will serve to rotate or drive the nozzle in a circle within the cage formed by the rod 16, the outward bow of the portion 20 forming a clearance for the nozzle 25. A supporting bracket 26 is connected to the cage ed in the cage 6 extending downwardly 6 and to the downwardly extending portion A second pipe 27 Vis connected through the wall ot' the supporting tubel 1 and extends outwardly/andfdownwardly close beside the tube1 througha downwardly flowingcheck valve 28 to an elbow fitting 29, said elbow fitting being tapped through the wall of thebarrel 3 at aApoint above the standing valve aand normally below the plunger 4.

Alcylindrical valve member 30 is mounted for endwise vreciprocationv in a bore `31 formed from the inner end of the fitting 29 and communicating with the pipe 27, the inner end of the valve member 30 having a beveled face 32. An expansion spring 33 is mounted in the bore 31 against the member 30, the tension of the spring being exerted to push the member -30 inwardly. A discharge bore 34 is formed from the inner end of the fitting 29 and a port 35 con-y nects the inner end of the bore 34 to t-he chamber 31, the port 35 being located so that when the member 30kis pressed inwardly the .port 35'is closed. A pin36 operates through -a slot 37 in the wall of the bore 31 and is `tapped into the member 30 to limit the movement of the member 30 to the extent of the movement of 'the pin 36 in the slot 37.

It is to be understood that the pump barrel 3 is of considerable length and that the stroke of the plunger 4 may be adjusted as is usual in sand pumps, and that the location of the stroke may be adjusted up and down. If the stroke of the plunger 4 is adjusted so that the plunger 4 will pass downwardly and engage the beveled face 32, the member 30 will be moved inwardly to close the port 35, whereas if the stroke of the plunger 4 is adjusted to be above the fitting 29, the spring 33 will move the member 30 inwardly and open the port 35.

Then it is desired to use the sand pump and washer, the 'supporting tube 1 carrying the pump barrel 3 and the cooperating apparatus, including the washing apparatus, is

Q lowered into the well casing 38 until the top of the sand is reached and the pump plunger 4 and pump tube 8 is properly adjusted and setinto operation. Then oil from the tank 14 is fed into the chamber 13 and passes downwardly and finally through the pipes 18 and 27 and check valves 19 and 28,fthe

pipe 1S-leading to the nozzles 21 and 25 and vthe pipe 2T leading to the chamber 39 in the Y vpump barrel above the standing valve 5.

As long as there is plenty of liquid such as Voil or water in the well casing38, the sand pump may be operated without the fiow of oil from the tank 14 and when the liquid is nearly or quite exhausted from the well casing 38 down to the level of the pump mechanism, the oil from the tank 14 will flow through the nozzles 21 and 25 with considerable force, thereby stirring up the sand so that the sand may be readily carried upwardly by the pump. If the plunger 4 is adjusted to work low down in the barrel 3,

f the flow of oil through the pipe 27 will be stopped by the valve member 30, and this a operation may continue until the sand packs (i0 in the barrel 3 around the standing valve 5 pso as to interfere with the pumping operaftion, and when this occurs, the plunger 4 will be adjusted to work above the fitting 29 and allow the oil 'from the tank 14 to flow through the pipe 27 into the chamber 39 so California oil fields the sand pump will be at a depth of three or four thousand feet and that the gravity pressure from the tank 14 will deliver a pressure at the nozzles 21 and 25 equal to 1500 to 2500 pounds to the square inch and that this pressure passing through the nozzles 21 and 25 will act as a powerful `force to dig up and stirup and wash the sand. This force of 1500 to 2500 pounds to the square inch passing into the pump barrel 3 below the plunger will fill the chamber 39 and' flow upwardly past the plunger check valve A'i' and keep the sand within the pump in circulation. The pumping action will draw the floating sand through the standing valve 5, and when sufcient liquid is supplied, the sand will readily flow upwardly with the oil and be discharged through the spout 10. n

As fast as the sand within reach has been removed, the entire rigging may be lowered and this operation continued from time to time until the sand is entirely exhausted from the well or until the sand is exhausted to the desired extent to make the well flow or produce oil. 1

Tf the depth of the well to the sand is not great enough to give sufficient force by gravity pressure from the tank 14, it is obvious that a pump may be inserted between the tank 14 and the supporting tube 1 to'raisc the pressure to any desired extent. lVhen the use of the washing oil from the tank is no longer needed, the tank may be allowed Ato run empty and the oil will pass downwardly until the annular chamber 13 is empty, and then the check valves 19 and 28 will hold gas, oil or water from passing upwardly into the chamber 13.

Thus I have produced a sand washer to be lmade and operated in connection with a sand pump so as to stir upand wash the sand whileit is being pumped, andso that -it may be pumped, and the sand washer consisting of the combination with a supporting tube, a pump barrel connected to the supporting tube and carrying a standing valve, a plunger operating in the pump barrel and having a tubular stem for the delivery of oil, the tubular stem extending through the supporting tube and forming an annular chamberbetween the suporting tube and tubular stem, of an oil tank connected to discharge Y into the upper end of the annular chamber,

and means for taking oil from the lower end ofthe annular chamber and discharging it into the pump barrel above the standing valve, and means for .taking oil from the lower end Vof the annular chamber and dischargingit through nozzles below the pump mechanism, one of said nozzles discharging vertically downwardly and the other of ,said

nozzles being rotatable and discharging tang'entially.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A sand washer consisting of the combination with a sand pump having a supporting tube and a tubular pump stem in the supporting tube and forming an annular chamber, of an oil supply connected to discharge into the upper end of the annular chamber, means for taking oil from the lower end of the annular chamber and discharging it into the pump above the standing valve, `and means for taking oil from the lower end of the annular chamber and discharging it through nozzles below the pump mechanism, one of said nozzles discharging vertically downwardly and the other of said nozzles being self rotatable and discharging tangentially.

2. A sand pump and sand washer comprising a supporting tube, a pump barrel connected to the supporting tube and carrying a standing valve, a plunger operating in the pump barrel and having a tubular stem for the delivery of oil, the tubular stem extending through the supporting tube and forming an annular chamber, a source of oil supply connected to discharge into the upper end of the annular chamber, means for taking oil from the lower end of the annular chamber and discharging the oil into the pump barrel above the standing valve, and means for taking oil from the lower end of the annular chamber and dischargdischarging a fluid through said nozzle.

ing the oil through nozzles below the pump mechanism, one of said nozzles discharging vertically downwardly and the other of said -nozzles being self-rotatable and discharging tangentially.

3. In a sand washer, a sand pump, a nozzle mounted below the sand pump and self rotatable upon a vertical axis and discharging tangentially, and means for connecting the nozzle to a source ol. oil supply.

4. A sand washer consisting of the combination with a sand pumpr having a supporting tube and a tubular pump stem in the supporting tube and forming an annular chamber, of an oil supply connected to discharge into the upper end of the annular chamber, means for taking oil from the lower end of the annular chamber through a down flowing check Valve and discharging it into the pump above the standing valve, and means for taking oil from the lower end of the annular chamber through a down flowing check valve and. discharging it through nozzles below the pump mechanism, one of said nozzles discharging vertically downwardly and the other of said nozzles being self-rotatable and discharging tangentially.

5. In combination with a well pump having a standing valve, a sand washer comprising a movable nozzle disposed below the standing valve or' the pump, and means for In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

. E. M. REARDON. 

